Be sound in the faith.
Be established with grace.
Be ye doers of the Word.
Be not unfruitful.
Be ready to every good work.
Be filled with the Spirit.
Be a vessel unto honor, sanctified.
Be an example of the believers.
Be holy and without blemish.
Be not conformed to this world.
Be dead indeed unto sin.
Be it unto thee even as thou wilt.
Be not overcome by evil.
Be ye therefore sober.
Be not high-minded, but fear.
Be not entangled again.
Be not as the hypocrites.
Be without dissimulation.
Be not wise in your own conceits.
Be not deceived.
Be led of the Spirit.
Be instant in season and out of season.
Be ye also patient.
Be of good courage.
Be strong in the Lord.
Be not weary in well-doing.
Be gentle unto all.
Be discreet and faithful.
Be diligent and sober.
Be blameless.
Be dead with Christ.
Be found of him in peace.
Be ye also ready.

*We have here dealt with the great mass of the world and purposely omitted mention of two comparatively small classes--the church selected in the gospel age, and the finally impenitent of the Millennial age. Because previously mentioned, it is unnecessary to interrupt the statement of the general plan as relates to the great mass of mankind.

Nor should we fail to apply the lesson of verse 15, that since Christ died for all, they which live by his purchase should render life-service to him? It is not enough that we call ourselves by his name and say we are his servants, but His servants we are TO WHOM we render service.

Meantime, while the "marvelous work" (v. 14) of overthrowing the present great systems of men (which, like the tower of Babel, is an attempt on the part of men to work their plans regardless of the Lord's) is in progress, the Lord's warning is, "Woe to them that seek deep to hide their counsel [schemes, plans,] from the Lord, and their works
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are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us, and who knoweth us?" (V. 15.)

It is possible to deceive fellow-men, and to convince them that certain plans are not different from, but in harmony with, the Lord's plans. Yea, a man may also deceive even himself thus (2 Tim. 3:13); but he cannot deceive God. He knows that the controlling principles of sectarianism are earthly and selfish. He knows of the dark works and secret conspiracies in wrong, not only of the Jesuits, but also, in a less degree, of Protestants, who to accomplish their plans are willing to, and do resort, to many schemes and devices to raise money and to have their systems seem to flourish, which they would not care to have generally known among men, and which they seem to think God seeth not. How often reports are doctored to make a good impression. How often subscription lists are headed with prominent names and large sums of money only for effect, and never expected to be paid. (This not infrequent custom was illustrated recently by the course of the officials of a prominent Brooklyn church, freely criticised by the public press.) All this is ostensibly to forward the Lord's work, but really to accomplish their own plans.

Is it not plain enough to all of us, that anyone who, in the Church, shall persistently
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make such inquiries will be reproved for "prying into things which are not for us to know"? Now it is not for us to tell individuals what is their personal duty. It is our place to speak of principles in their general application and each must judge about the particular application to himself. Jesus spoke very plainly about the condition of the Jewish Church in that time, and of a certain class, but seldom or never of any one individual in it. His condemnation was of corrupt principles and corrupt classes, and was in public.

He says concerning his teaching, "In secret have I said nothing." (John 18:20.) But why should Jesus, or we, condemn the Church, either Jewish or Christian? Did not God institute the Jewish Church? Yes, and for a purpose. That purpose was to shadow forth, through the law, which was committed unto them, "good things to come"; for they "could never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect: for then would they not have ceased to be offered ...for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." (Heb. 10:1,2,4.) "The way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscience." Heb. 9:8.

In connection with this subject let us study carefully the 18th chapter of Revelations, with parallel Scriptures, and see that we get an understanding of them. "After these things." (1st verse.) What things? After all the things related up to that point had been accomplished. Now, study the whole chapter, and be sure to get the "mind of the Spirit." But should some one say to you, "There is no use studying Revelation, no one understands that; there is no use reading it," then read to them the third verse of the first chapter of the book, and tell them that by the grace of God you will at least TRY to get an understanding of it, for you are after that blessing.

Concerning it we read, "The day of the Lord is darkness, and not light." (Amos 5:18.) It is "the great day of his wrath." This dark day is at once the closing scene of the night of weeping and the dawn of the morning of joy. And we would invite your attention, not merely to the scriptural evidence that there will be such a day, but especially to the events that will transpire during that day, and their chronological order.

In harmony with this are the words of the Apostle James (5:1-4, Diaglott)-- "Come now, ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are approaching. Your riches have decayed, and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have become rusted, and the rust of them will be for a testimony against you, and will eat your bodies as fire. [The rich will share in the trouble of the nations because so closely identified with them]. You have laid up treasures for the Last Days. Behold! that hire which you fraudulently withheld from those laborers who harvested your fields, cries out; and the loud cries of the reapers have entered into the ears of the Lord of Armies."

Rev. 6:15-17 describes the distress of that time, saying, "The kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bond man, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?" The powers of earth will seek to make alliances with one another for self-protection, and to hide themselves from the sure-coming storm. And individuals will seek to be covered and protected by the great mountains (kingdoms) of earth, and to be hid in the great ROCKS (protective secret societies). But they shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's anger; for all the kingdoms of the world shall be thrown down, and instead of these the kingdom of the Lord becomes a great kingdom, and fills the whole earth. (Dan. 2:35-45.)

Malachi (4:1) describes the coming day of trouble, and sees the anger of the Lord there displayed--the fire of God's jealousy: "Behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be
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stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up." Here the wicked are symbolized by stubble, God's wrath by fire, and the righteous by calves of the stall (verse 2).
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Peter describes this day of the Lord (2 Peter 3:10), and under the symbol of heavens refers to the governments-- the higher or ruling powers. "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise [overthrow of governments, with great confusion] and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up." The elements of the (heavens) governments, as well as of (earth) society in general, will be dissolved in the great trouble (fire) of that day.

Zech. 14:1-4 describes the battle then fought. "Behold the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoils shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken and the houses rifled, and half of the city shall go forth into captivity." Here God interposes and defends them, and here they come to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. "Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations as when he fought in the day of battle"--as he fought for them in olden times. They will recognize the Lord in their miraculous deliverance from their enemies. He shall be revealed in flaming fire taking vengeance. (2 Thes. 1:8.)

In Zech. 12:3, God declares that he will deliver them, though all the people of the earth be gathered against them. Verse 10 describes their recognition of Him whom they have pierced, and their sorrow when, in that day, God "pours upon them the spirit of grace and supplication."

The parable of the wheat and tares (Matt. 13) gives us a sketch of the Church's history from beginning to end. Jesus and the Apostles planted the good seed (truth), which sprang up and brought forth wheat. But while men slept the enemy brought in tares, until now the Church nominal abounds with tares, and a great separation becomes necessary, that the true wheat may be separated from the false. And this separating and gathering time is termed a harvest.

Paul says, in 1 Thes. 5:1,2, "Of the times and seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you, for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night" --to the world, as the next verse shows. The world will know nothing of what is coming, and will be taken unawares; and many of the Lord's servants having fallen asleep, are not watching as commanded. Some are overcharged with the cares of this life, and some are intoxicated with the spirit of the world; only a few are watching. Will these know? Yes, "Ye brethren are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are the children of light, and the children of the day; we are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as do others; but let us watch and be sober." (1 Thes. 5:4-6.)

Being perplexed, I say,
Lord, make it right!
Night is as day to Thee,
Darkness is light.
I am afraid to touch
Things that involve so much.
My trembling hand may shake,
My unskilled hand may break;
Thine can make no mistake.

Being in doubt, I say,
Lord, make it plain!
Which is the true, safe way,
Which would be vain?
I am not wise to know,
Nor sure of foot to go;
My blind eyes cannot see
What is so clear to Thee--
Lord, make it clear to me.

CLARKE says in his comment on 1 Cor. 15: "One remark I cannot help making; the doctrine of the resurrection appears to have been thought of much more consequence among the primitive Christians than it is now!" How is this? The apostles were continually insisting on it, and exciting the followers of God to diligence, obedience, and cheerfulness through it. And their successors in the present day seldom mention it! So the apostles preached, and so primitive Christians believed; so we preach, and so our hearers believe. There is not a doctrine in the gospel on which more stress is laid; and there is not a doctrine in the present system of preaching which is treated with more neglect.--Sel.